Description of the Green-winged Teal

BREEDING MALE

Males are mostly gray, with a vertical white bar in front of each wing, and have a reddish head with a broad green patch behind each eye.

Female

Females are mostly brown, with a buffy stripe on each side of the tail (see when sitting). Small bill and pale under-tail coverts help separate from other female ducks.

Seasonal change in appearance

Males in nonbreeding plumage resemble females.

Juvenile

The immature Green-winged Teal is similar to the adult female.

Habitat

Green-winged Teal inhabit rivers, marshes, and coastal estuaries.

Diet

Green-winged Teal primarily eat seeds and other plant material, but will also eat insects and crustaceans

Behavior

The Green-winged Teal swims or wades to filter mud, or gleans food from the surface of the water.

Range

Green-winged Teal occur throughout much of the U.S. and Canada, breeding in the northern portions of the U.S. north to Alaska, and wintering across a broad swath of the central and southern U.S., as well parts of the northeastern U.S. The population has increased in recent decades.

More information:

Bent Life History

Visit the Bent Life History for extensive additional information on the Green-winged Teal.

Wing Shape

The shape of a bird's wing is often an indication of its habits and behavior. Fast flying birds have long, pointed wings. Soaring birds have long, broad wings. Different songbirds will have a slightly different wing shape. Some species look so much alike (Empidonax flycatchers) that scientists sometimes use the length of specific feathers to confirm a species' identification.